Baghdad, SANA_ Iraqi President Barham Salih said that the solution to the crisis in Syria is through respect for the decision of its people to determine the future of their country, emphasizing that the withdrawal of US forces from the Syrian territory should be a helping factor for settlement of the crisis.

According to a statement issued by the Iraqi President’s Office on Saturday, President Salih, during a phone call from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said that the “Syrian people paid a heavy price as a result of terrorism, which committed the most heinous crimes in addition to the destructive foreign interventions,”

Saleh stressed that withdrawal of US forces should be a helping factor to restore security and stability based on respect for the rights of the Syrians and their independent decision.

Regarding preserving the Iraqi sovereignty, the Iraqi President said that the Iraqi national interest should be the basis in dealing for bolstering stability and protecting the victory achieved on terrorism.

Earlier, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi received a phone call from Pompeo during which Abdel Mehdi said that Syria’s security and political settlement have “a direct relationship with the security in Iraq and the stability in the region.